


Falling Apart

by Emilill



Series: Stolen Happy Ending AU [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Bank Robbery, Character Death, Depressing, F/M, Gun Violence, Heavy Angst, Hospitals, Love, Memories, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 21:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17816093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emilill/pseuds/Emilill
Summary: It was just like any other day... Until it wasn't. One mistake can change a lot of things: an event, a day, or even a life. One mistake can cause a whole world to fall apart.Don't read the tags if you want to get the full experience!





	Falling Apart

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, I wanna thank my beta readers: the amazing [ Snowflakevon ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowflakevon/pseuds/Snowflakevon) and the wonderful [ MerakiMela ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerakiMela/pseuds/MerakiMela)! I got some great advice from them, make sure to check them out by clicking on their names!  
> Secondly, this is kinda depressing, and includes a symptom of PTSD (recurring night terrors), so if you're triggered by that, don't read it. OK? Good!

Marinette knew she was dreaming. She knew she was just reliving a memory in her sleep. She'd been having nightmares of that day for almost 17 years. The day her world fell apart. But that didn't make it feel any less real.

* * *

 

Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing on their apartment's balcony, bathing in the ominous orange light of the setting sun. The warm rays of weakened light from the August sunset reflected on the windows, giving them a crystallic glint.

"Ready for patrol, Chaton?"

"Almost, m'lady. I only need one _meow_ re thing!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"And what would that be?"

"One of your _purr_ fect kisses, Buginette!"

She raised one eyebrow.

"Oh, really?"

She walked closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek, and leaning closer as he closed his eyes.

"You'll have to catch me first, Minou!"

She zipped away with her yoyo, laughing at the remark he shouted after her.

"Hey! That's not fair, you sly bug!"

 

He chased her across Paris as the calming darkness of the night settled in and only the silver light of the moon illuminated the starry sky. Just as Chat was about to catch her, he suddenly stopped, his silky black ears twitching. Ladybug stopped as soon as she saw his concentrated expression.

"You heard something, Chaton?"

He nodded and signalled her to follow him. She did as he instructed. A few moments later they arrived near a bank, the shadows inside confirming the heroes' suspicions.

"I'm calling 112."

"I'm gonna go in while you do that."

"No, Chat! Are you crazy? You'd just get yourself killed! We're going in together!"

"But we have to hurry!"

"I know, but I can't risk losing you!"

As soon as Ladybug finished the call on her yo-yo, she walked over to her partner.

"They should be here in a few minutes."

"Good. Let's make sure these criminals get what they deserve! Are you ready, LB?"

"I am, Minou."

"Then let's go!"

They entered the building together. There were two robbers, both armed with a gun. Most criminals dropped their weapons and surrendered as soon as they saw the superhero duo, but these two didn't. They looked at each other, then at the heroes and shot. Luckily they missed. Ladybug had tried deflecting bullets with her yo-yo before, and it did not go well. She wrapped her weapon around the first guy's pistol, disarming them, while her partner dealt with the other guy. She wrapped the string of the yo-yo around the man... No, woman, and glanced at her partner, who had already pinned the other robber.

"Great job, Chaton!"

"I could only say the same, m'lady!"

They waited for the police to arrive, occasionally glancing at the criminals. The spotted heroine saw the woman moving one of her hands, but wasn't too concerned about it. She was unarmed and almost completely immobilized. 

Ladybug was looking at her partner when she saw his eyes widen. The next moment, time seemed to slow down. She heard Chat scream her name - her real name, that is - and saw him running towards her. She looked in the direction of the tied up woman, and saw a loaded gun the criminal's hand, pointed towards her. She saw the red and blue lights of a police car in front of the building, heard the deafening sirens. She heard a shot, and in that exact millisecond felt Chat's strong arms push her out of the way, the bullet hitting him instead of the original target, her. She knew their suits were really strong, but they couldn't protect them from bullets. The pain knocked Plagg out of the ring immediately. Ladybug froze for a moment, panicking. But she knew she had to get him to a hospital as soon as possible, seeing the blood already forming a puddle, so she didn't waste much time. She stormed out of the bank as fast as she could and zipped away with her yo-yo, not even sparing a word to the police officers.

"Listen to me, Bug... It looks like... I might not make it this time, so..."

"Don't say that! You're gonna be fine! I know it! This is scary, but I'll be over tomorrow! Or maybe this isn't even real, just a hallucination!"

"Mari... There's a... There's a note I left you... In case... This happened... It's in... My desk's drawer... Read it... When I'm gone..."

"Don't talk like you're going to die! You can't die! Please! I... I need you! I can't... I can't live... I can't live without you!" she managed to choke through her tears.

He smiled at her weakly.

"I... I just... Want you to know... How much... How much I... Love you... P-princess... Your eyes... Th-they're s-so... Beautifully... Blue... Mari..." he barely managed to choke out before he lost consciousness.

"Nononononono don't pass out! Don't pass out! Don't pass out! Please! Please don't leave me! We're almost there!"

Less than a minute later she landed in front of the hospital, detransformed, and sprinted through the door.

"HELP! SHOT! BLEEDING! DYING!" she managed to scream between her panicked sobs.

The workers of the hospital buzzed up like a disturbed beehive. They got a wheeled bed and put Adrien on it, rushing to the ER section, with Marinette following close behind. After the nurses pushed him into a room, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Exuse me Mademoiselle, but you have to stay here!"

She didn't listen to him and headed for the door again.

"If you don't cooperate, you'll have to be removed from the building!"

She gave him a pleading look, but did as she was told after finding it ineffective.

She sat down, staring at her lap. Her clothes and hands had so much blood on them - his blood. She'd never wear those clothes again.

A few moments later she saw someone, who she assumed was a nurse, coming out from the door and sitting down next to her. 

"What... What happened?"

Marinette could recognize that voice anywhere. She looked at the blonde, who also had tears in her eyes.

"It happened so fast... One second we were waiting for the police, the next he was pushing me away from the bullet. As I was carrying him here, he was talking like he was sure he was gonna die, Chloe! He was... He was..."

She couldn't talk more. Her mouth was dry and her throat ached. She bit down on her lip so hard it started to bleed. The metallic taste of the blood made her want to throw up.

"It's a wonder he's still alive... 85% of people with his injury die before they get to the hospital..."

"Is it... That bad?"

Chloe pursed her lips. Marinette knew it was hard for her too. Adrien and her had been friends for as long as they could remember after all.

"The bullet ruptured his aorta, the big artery that comes right out of the heart. The bleeding is... Really intense..."

Th bluenette saw the blond girl wiping her eyes.

"Why... Why did you come out?"

"Since I'm still just a student, and I'm only supposed to watch how everyday things happen... They sent me out... Since I have a personal relationship with him... Plus they didn't want me to... Go through stress in my current state..."

Before Marinette could reply she was cut off by a loud bell. Chloe's face paled as soon as she heard it.

"No! No!"

"What's wrong?"

"The... The bell! It means he... Oh my god, he... He flatlined..."

It took her a moment to process what Chloe said. But as soon as she realized the weight of those words it threw her into a panic. Her heart was racing like it wanted to jump out of her chest and she felt nauseas. She pulled her legs up on the hard, plastic chair, staring blankly at the door in front of her.

"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, he's gonna die and it's my fault, I should have paid more attention to her, it's my fault, it's my fault, I had her tied up and I was careless, it's my fault..."

"Snap out of it, Marinette! It's not your fault! You didn't shoot him, the robber did! You hear me? Calm down!"

She didn't hear the other woman's words. She didn't hear anything besides the blood rushing in her ears, her heart going crazy. The next moment she felt a million needles stabbing her all over her body and she fell off the chair. She was lying on her back on the cold floor, suddenly feeling like she was the one who was shot. Marinette knew the pain she was going through at that moment was the same pain her partner experienced mere minutes ago. She arched her back and covered her eyes from the blinding white light of the hospital, feeling like her soul was being pulled out of her through the non-existent bullet wound. And at that moment, she knew. She knew the doctors wouldn't be able to bring her partner back. And so she screamed. And she screamed and screamed even as she felt people trying to carry her somewhere.

"GET OFF OF ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

She kicked and flailed and punched as hard as she could. She couldn't see anything anymore. She couldn't hear anything anymore. She couldn't feel anything anymore. The only thing in her head was death... Death... Death... Echo... Echo... Echo... Silence... Nothing... Empty. He was everything. Life wasn't worth living without him. She just wanted to give up, wanted to let go. Be wherever he was, go after him. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried to let go, to leave this cursed world, something wouldn't let her. She saw his sparkling emerald eyes one last time, before she lost consciousness.

* * *

 

Her dream continued with a later memory. It was raining heavily, the gloomy, grey sky matching the lone young woman's emotions as she stared down at the fresh flowers. She looked up at the clouds, her tears mixing with warm raindrops as lightning struck in the distance, the loud rumble of thunder following it a few moments later. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, as if trying to comfort herself, trying to imitate his arms comforting her. His arms that couldn't wrap around her anymore, couldn't lift her up and put her to bed when she fell asleep on the couch. His hands wouldn't play with her hair, the midnight black strands now damp, sticking to her face, reminding her of the day she fell in love with him as thunder roared again. She let out a choked sob, her hands falling to the ground, fingers digging into the soft, wet dirt. She looked up at the sky, whimpering through her clenched teeth. 

She touched her earlobes, the cold metal of the miraculous burning her flesh. She couldn't take it anymore. She took them off. There was no way she could continue... Not without him.

* * *

 

When Alya opened the bathroom door, she probably didn't expect to see her best friend lying on the floor in a fetal position. Nonetheless she crouched down next to her, speaking up in a calm, gentle voice.

"What happened, Marinette? Did something remind you of... The past? Or are you feeling sick again?"

The bluenette let out an unintelligable noise, pointing to the sink. Alya let out a barely audible gasp when she saw it. 

"Oh, Girl..."

She pulled Marinette into a sitting position and hugged her tightly.

"Are you going to keep it?"

The brunette felt her best friend nod.

"There's... Barely anything left of h-him... This... This baby is one of them. I have to raise his child. I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't keep it."

"I'll be there for you, all right? We'll all be there! Do you want me to fetch Nino and Chloe?"

She nodded.

"Okay. I left my phone at home. I'm gonna go, but I won't be long, I promise!"

After Alya left and Marinette managed to stumble into her bedroom, she grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. She found it relieved her when she felt helpless. Because what else could she do? She was the only person unlucky enough to have this happen to.

* * *

 

She was woken up by a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Maman? Are you awake?"

She opened her eyes, seeing her daughter in front of her.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"You were shouting in your sleep again."

She sighed.

"Sorry, did I wake you up again?"

Emma smiled. Her smile looked just like her dad's. But that wasn't the only thing resembling Adrien. Her eyes, her hair, her nose, her ears, her everything! It all resembled her father. Even her personality was similar to his. And her awful puns. Marinette didn't know where she learned them, maybe at school, maybe online, maybe it just ran in her blood, but they were just as bad as Chat's.

"Yeah, but it's okay, Maman. I wanted to wake up earlier today anyway."

"Really? Why? Wait... What time is it?"

"About 5 AM. And the next episode of my favourite show is coming out today at six!"

Marinette chuckled. Teens and their shows!

"By the way, Maman, what is it in your dream that makes you scream every time? I know you said you don't like to talk about it, but I just... Really wanna know what makes a strong person like you scream like that. I assume it's some kind of nightmare, right?"

The older woman took a deep breath. 'I should tell Emma the truth. She's not a small child anymore, and I have to tell her some time...'

"Emma, I think it's about time I told you the story of Ladybug and Chat Noir."

And so she told her daughter everything. She talked about the good times they had as superheroes, talked about the day they got together and the day she last saw him. She left out some of the details, since while Emma wasn't that small or immature, she was still only sixteen. After she finished they shared a loving embrace, Marinette fighting back her tears.

 

"And... What was in the letter?"

The older woman looked down in shame.

"I never read it..."

Emma nodded with a serious expression, then took a deep breath.

"I understand why you didn't, but... Maybe you should. Not right now, maybe later, but I think it would be... Closure? I dunno, I'm too young to have experience with this kind of stuff and I'm sure you can make the right decision, like the responsible person you are. You did, and still are raising me alone, and I don't think I could have asked for a better mother."

"Oh, Emma... Thank you..."

She pressed a soft kiss against her daughter's forehead, just barely able to hold her tears back. The blonde girl smiled.

"No, thank you, Maman. I'm... Gonna go now. I think you could use some time alone... I know I could."

She hugged her mother once more, and headed back to her room.

* * *

 

After Emma left, the bluenette started looking around her room for something. It didn't take her long to find it. She gently traced the edges of the envelope with her fingers, then opened it. She found the letter in it, just like she expected to. She closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts, then started reading.

 

Hey Princess!

 

If you're reading this, I'm no longer there with you. Or you just looked through my drawer and found this, but I don't think you'd be doing that, so I'm gonna assume the former.

It probably hasn't been too long since I wrote this, because I plan on writing a new one each year. It means that we only got to spend a few months together, which is... Un _fur_ tunate. I'm writing this, because I probably didn't have enough time to tell you how much you mean to me. I love you so much that I don't even know how it's possible. You're my light, my happiness, my soulmate. You're my everything. You have no idea how much I wish you never have to read this, and not because I'm afraid of dying. I want to be there for you, to make you happy. I want us to grow old together. Well, I guess I should say wanted if you're actually reading this. But I still want you to be happy, even if I'm not there. Your happiness is my happiness. I know this sounds super sappy and cheesy, but it's really how I feel. I want you to live life to the fullest! Don't be stuck in the past, remember it with fondness! I know that it's easier said than done, I don't know what I would do if I lost you, but at least try! Try for me, Buginette!

 

With e _fur_ lasting loyalty and love,

Your Chaton

 

Ps. Sorry fur the puns, I couldn't res _hiss_ t

 

Marinette didn't know whether to laugh of cry. She put the letter back into the envelope with a smile on her lips and a single tear rolling down her cheek. As she was about to close it again, she spotted something black in it. She took the small object out, immediately recognising it. She had her own one around her neck, after all.

"His kwagatama..."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This marks the end of the prequel trilogy. The main fic in the series is going to be called "Stolen Happy Ending", and I wanna ask you all something: Would you rather wait a long time for it (up to 5-6 months) and have consistent uploads after that; or get the first chapter of it up in March, and have irregular updates once every 3-4 weeks? It's up to you, I'm already done with a chapter and a half.


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